With all the new additions to the Washington Commanders made to their wide receiver room, including the trade for Deebo Samuel and drafting Jaylin Lane, it might be easy to forget that third-round pick Luke McCaffrey is entering his second season.
But McCaffrey is looking to make another step in his development and make a more significant impact on the Commanders' offense.
"It's going to be, 'Put your nose to the grindstone, put your head down, and enjoy the process,'" McCaffrey said. "That's the only way to success, and that's the only way I've been able to see guys succeed."
McCaffrey, who switched positions from quarterback to wide receiver while at Rice University, only had two seasons of experience at wideout prior to being taken with the 100th overall pick last season but still showed promise with 1,715 yards and 19 touchdowns in that span.
General manager Adam Peters drafted him hoping that his size, speed and movements skills in the slot would translate to the NFL with some development, and there were moments where that gamble paid off. He caught his first 11 targets and converted a critical fourth down against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.
While McCaffrey played in all 17 games and in the Commanders' playoff run, he only played 36% of the offensive snaps and just 16.3% in the postseason. Some of that was because he took on a larger special teams role in the second half of the season; some of it was because McCaffrey was a rookie with room to grow before being a bigger factor for the offense.
It should help that McCaffrey doesn't have to go through rookie growing pains again, so he can focus solely on getting a full NFL offseason under him.
"There's a lot that goes into your rookie year, on and off the field, just moving, getting used to everything and getting in the flow," McCaffrey said. "It's nice this year just to not have to ask about everything ... You kind of know what to prepare for and what to look for."
If anything, things are moving slower for McCaffrey this offseason, which he believes is a good thing.
"Just trying to home in and be under control and have fun doing it," he said.
McCaffrey has looked solid during the Commanders' offseason workout program. He made a tough sideline catch during the final practice of OTAs, fighting off tight coverage from fellow second-year player Tyler Owens in seven-on-seven drills. That should make wide receivers coach Bobby Engram happy, but he wants to see McCaffrey push his development even further.
"Just continued growth as a receiver," Engram said. "Route running, run after the catch, contested catches, really everything. But I thought Luke did a great job of just staying the course last year.
Engram added that McCaffrey got off to a "hot start" as a rookie before "things kind of cooled off a little bit," but that didn't affect his work ethic or approach. Engram is expecting the same from McCaffrey this offseason.
"I think naturally the biggest jump will be between year one and year two. And I really like the speed and the way he's attacking football out there right now. He's made some really tough catches."
McCaffrey knows there's only one way to get better: hard work.
"I don't think there's any secret to success, especially in this league and especially in such a competitive, results-driven game," McCaffrey said. "I think hard work and dedication. There's not going to be anything that's a miracle that somebody finds."
